AP – A series of bombings struck predominantly Shiite areas in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least seven people and wounding dozens, police said, as insurgents persist in their relentless bid to terrorize the capital in the final days before U.S. and Iraqi soldiers plan to begin a massive crackdown.

AP – Convinced this is their moment, tens of thousands marched Saturday in an anti-war demonstration linking military families, ordinary people and an icon of the Vietnam protest movement in a spirited call to get out of Iraq.

Reuters – Five female pupils were killed in a
mortar strike on a secondary school in the predominantly Sunni
Adil district of western Baghdad on Sunday, the school’s
principal told Reuters.

AP – Drive-by shooters on Sunday killed a high-ranking Shiite official at the Iraqi industry and mines ministry in western Baghdad, the ministry said.

Reuters – Gunmen ambushed the director general of
Iraq’s Industry Ministry as he drove to work in Baghdad on
Sunday, killing him, his daughter and two others, police and
the ministry said.

Wall Streeters take refuge at a boxing club where they can release their aggression and job tension. No saunas or high-tech exercise gear here

Wall Streeters take refuge at a boxing club where they can release their aggression and job tension. No saunas or high-tech exercise gear here New York — New York Stock Exchange trader Michael Mulroy is punching furiously, each of his jabs landing with a thud that echoes across the cavernous room.

AP – A congressional rebuke of President Bush’s troop buildup in Iraq would undercut American commanders in a way that “emboldens the enemy,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates says.

AP – President Bush, on a collision course with Congress over Iraq, said Friday “I’m the decision-maker” about sending more troops to the war. He challenged skeptical lawmakers not to prematurely condemn his buildup.

(RTTNews) – The pound saw weakness in trading against its rivals during trading on Friday in New York. The British currency moved to a 2 month low against the dollar and a week and a half low against the euro. However, the cable stayed near multi-year highs against the yen.